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Welcome! Lenkaland shares my adventures in creative photography, raising two kids, writing, living with chronic illness, raising a daughter with dyslexia, and swimming with mermaids. Hope you have a nice stay!

Jan 6 Amazed and More

An ordinary day at work until I check email and see a friend request from a name that sounds familiar but could be anyone. I visit her profile. I cannot recognize the profile picture, can I?
I check her information but it's vague. Her birthday is in 1991. I do quick math. That places her at six years old right when I started teaching. In Los Angeles.

No way, I think, confirming the friend request and writing her an awkward little note. Do I know you?

Yes I do. She found my name on an old school photo from ten years ago. She's graduating high school and going to college (yay!) which is huge given the odds I heard when I first taught at Osceola. She's absolutely gorgeous-beautiful, but if I squint just a little, I can see the little girl I knew way back when.

I am so happy to hear from her. I remember her clearly. Those two wild years down there as a young intern-teacher with the bomb threats, the cars stolen at lunchtime, the kids oblivious to it all, bringing me dollar-store treasures for every holiday. I adored those kids. Maybe I better write some of it down (as fiction of course) before it slips even farther into history.

If that student is reading this now, thank you for finding me. And hearing from students after a year or two years or ten years is sunshine in my world. Thank you thank you!

A completely different story: I'm trying a new medicine for fatigue. We are in a three year deadlock with insurance to get me the medication that really works. I've gone through the appeals process twice and gotten nowhere because it is approved for a few situations, including swing shift workers. But not neuropathy. So I hit a wall. This medicine is reaching the end of its patent, so they created a similar version to extend their hold on the market. This one doesn't work as well, but perhaps I can get insurance to help cover the cost. Since neither medicine has generics, each pill costs about $12. I can't pay for it on my own.

I am very cautious about medication. Everything had side effects. And I don't want to trick my system into over-working and causing injury.

This said, constant gnawing pain in my feet from arthritis (high arches) wears down my serotonin levels which leads to anxiety and depression. I must balance coping, lifestyle, and support. Not a fun task. I hope the insurance doesn't block me again. It's so frustrating to have them deny me treatment that my doctor recommends. The samples make such a difference. I don't take the meds often, but I don't like insurance deciding my best treatment. Money does affect health when you can't afford what insurance refuses to cover. Frustrating.

I am a photographer, writer, and art activist in the Sierra foothills. I live with my family, a mostly feral black cat, and a furry little dog named Chewbacca. I enjoy accessible adventures, kindness, and books with werewolves.

I am a photographer, writer, and art activist in the Sierra foothills. I live with my family, a mostly feral black cat, and a furry little dog named Chewbacca. I enjoy accessible adventures, kindness, and books with werewolves.